JKR

“You had me at hello” – buy it here.

For our second year running, we have produced an anthology of the jkr Design Gazette, rounding up all of its trend analysis and observations and adding a lot more new thinking on top.

Last year’s attempt (“Is Brad Pitt a Fishfinger?”) was described as “well informed and brilliantly observed  - essential reading” that “might become a branding classic” by Grafik magazine. Bloomberg Business Week called it “entertaining and thought provoking”. The only trouble was we limited “Brad Pitt” to a thousand copies, most of which went to our clients. We are offering this year’s equivalent for sale on Amazon, with costs kept as low as we could manage.

What do you get for £7.99? Fifty two observations from the past year, all freshly hashed up. And a big essay which endeavours to discuss our postmodern design era without getting too intellectual. There’s also a brilliant introduction by IPA president and TED Talker Rory Sutherland.

Here’s a teaser:

(Non-flash users, please click here)

“The Blue Lady” is fully illustrated throughout (I would love to say “lavishly” but this is a black and white book, aimed for the satchel and journey to work, not the coffee table). The Gazette itself is enjoying between four and six hundred visitors a day at the moment (two thousand on a great day) and for those of you who come back regularly, may I take this moment to say a heartfelt thanks! In light of this, the first 5 readers to email amymaw@jkr.co.uk will receive a complementary copy*.

“I needed convincing” – buy it here.

*Please email your name & postal address, with “design gazette” as the subject.

Andy Knowles did a talk last week at the easyFairs Packaging Innovation Show 2010. If you want to hear an interview with him from the event, click below:

As we turn the corner on our second decade, jkr celebrated with a birthday bash in Jersey. We have a small shindig every year, always branded to reflect the location of the bash.

As our designer Alex states, “this was a classic combination of 2 ideas – Jersey cows plus island rally (which is what we were up to) equals a cow dressed in British racing green”. The event organisers liked it so much that they’ve adopted it for all their future events in Jersey!

Here are some of the stats we shared to show how we have evolved over the last twenty years…

…Our client base has become more dynamic over the last 20 years

…And our office space has grown considerably

…From 0.9 desks per person to a more spacious 1.13 dpp!

…Which meant our first move with 4 people and 2 allen keys was very understated compared to our lastest move!

…Here are all the places we’ve visited on our annual weekends away

…And this is the number of jkr babies that have been born over the last 20 years!

If you want to join us for our 21st, please take a look here for current job openings: http://www.jkr.co.uk/contact-us/

This month sees the launch of the new Guinness glass, created by jkr. The new structure overcomes the generic association with the tulip glass, delivering a bespoke solution inspired by the Guinness iconography.

The new embossed glass plays on the equities of the harp which are echoed in its dynamic curves and tactile feel.

J2O is set to launch White Blend this month: a new range of lighter tasting varieties, designed by jkr. The flavours include White Grape & Kiwi and Red Grape & Blackcurrant, positioned as the perfect food companions. The design builds on the existing equities developed for core J2O while delivering a lighter feel through the use of colour.